How to beat Hikaru's Hippo Opening: 2019 FIDE Chess World Cup Round 1.2 

Check out Danny's blog with written analysis here: www.chess.com/blog/DanielRensch/fide-world-cup-round-2-my-favorite-games

I often didn‘t castle with the hippo setup. If the knights are in action you simply make one step foreward and the rooks are connected and the King is save enough, because you often block the centre pawns.

Instead of caselling long for black there is option (which both of my books about "hippo" gives as typical maneuver for such structures(with ! mark) and it is Maneuver Kf8,Kg8,Kh7 and rook can move...I have to admit it looks slow and strange but maybe it is how black should do it...Happy to hear comments on that

"So here I'm gonna ask you to pause the video"... "If you found b3 you are an excellent opener of positions"

Really good explanation of the ideas behind the moves. You have a gift for making it all easier to understand. Thank you!

Mate, your solo analysis videos are excellent. Clear and to the point. Keep up the good work!

Forget Agadmator! This gave me such great understanding, and I enjoyed a lot.

Love the analysis, as well as those self-deprecating asides.

Honestly some outstanding analysis here, I really feel I learnt a lot through watching. Great work Danny, a real credit to the RU-vid chess community.

This is the 3rd video of you analysing a game from the World cup that I've watched and boy do I like your way of analysing ! Keep up the good work it's fun and hopefully can teach some of us 2 or 3 things ;)

6:40 Where's he going to put his King? I play the Hippo, and the common idea is Kf8 Kg8 Kh7 and Rf8, keeping two defending h6. It seems really dangerous, but the King still proves difficult to attack. The idea is the same as White Hippo with Kf1 Kg1 Kh2 and Rf1.

Man I didn't realize you're so good at analyzing these games Would have watched this video after watching the brilliant analysis of Ding's game yesterday! Please no clickbaits

After move 10, it is the Hippo structure indeed!

Black doesn’t have to castle only long or short. There is the SLOW castle of K to h7 in 3 moves. In a lot of variations the board is locked up and black can get a good king side castle this way while white can do little to nothing about it!

It's called Hedgepopatamus

Danny your analysis is excellent. Seriously great work.

Awesome analysis. It made sense for a noob 1300 like me. I appreciated that a lot. Thanks for the video Danny, you did a good job!

Thanks Danny, great analysis. With regard to the name of Black's setup, it's more a Hippo than a Hedgehog.

that was a thematic masterpeice

The only chess videos on RU-vid I watch are these and agamator!

0:28 Pirc is with Nf6

Very clear explanation and commentary by one of the most enthusiastic and entertaining chess instructor/players around.

Danny, loving these videos. Very instructive stuff. Keep them coming friend.

danny rensch is one of the funniest commentators lmao

Thanks Danny for the great analysis! : )

Awesome. I just discovered Danny's stuff because I tentatively subscribed to chess.com last week and started exploring the site, and man do I love it. And there's still the Svidler game analysis I haven't watched yet... to give some context, I am finishing a bottle of champagne left over from a birthday party yesterday evening, so... I think that's what they call bliss. Perfect early Sunday evening.

I would not have found the b3 sac. I don't like totally closed positions, because I never know how to penetrate the enemy camp. I'm also not a pawn sacker, so I try to keep my positions open or semi-closed, so I will at least have a viable pawn break.

Great Comments -entertaining and insightful.

Wow, that was quite instructive, thank you!

Instead of ...Qb8, ...Nf6 is much more thematic, with threat of ...Nxe4. Note Nxe4, Bxe4, Bxe4, Bb5+ Bc6.

Very instructive

Great game. I wonder how *Parham* fairs against *Levon Aronian.*

More of these!

Learned a lot, thanks

16:10, one of my favs -- Q & R mate. Nice!

At 14:40 what if after knight took f5, black rook takes pawn f2, king takes, other rook Checks, opens up a lot of advantage for black, both bishops could be left hanging and potentially taken by blacks queen

Wow. Surgical.

Great analysis, hope to see more like this!

I don't think Agadmator can top him

looking forward to aronian maghsoodloo match. It will be very exciting.

Awesome game

For future reference danny the eeyore- ‘explicitive’ ain’t no word. A combination of what you’re trying to say? Yes

"it's just a totally different game after b3" Okay yogi

Great coverage Danny ❤

Black's 11th move should have been g4.

LMAO you are really funny...take a picture...

That was fucking awesome!

Well done Danny!

Are pigs flying? I thought b3 followed by c4 was the best move.

the problem with almost all of your points is that your using classic principles to discuss what black might do when this whole opening is about defying opening principles. most of the time during the hippo you don't strike at all until your opponent plays either e4 or d4 and even then you just close the position. it's not about attcking, it's about making it difficult for your opponent to make moves and subsequently making strikes and capilizing on their attacks which they nearly always have to sac material to pull off.

interesting analysis, but i disagree with many things there, even tho im nowhere as close to being Dannys level player. After black play e6-e5 after dxe you can play dxe and not allow queen exchange, h2-h4 is not only to stop g5, a move is almoust never just a move for one reason, there are usually many reasons, same here, he wants to play h5, for example after f7-f5 someday, that also limits black from putting piece on g5, he sais that Bg7 and d6 is modern also called pirc def, thats also incorrect, thats only modern, pirc is when you play knight to f6, in modern you can delay development of knight and play stuff like c7-c5 or develop knight to e7, and there are more inconsistencies. Thats why i stopped watching after 6 minutes.

Who is this guy? I've never seen him.

hippo opening eh?

First of all this is the hippo not the hedgehog, hedgehog is similar but different, secondly whites choice to attack kingside & castle, beating black to the kings Indian punch is very ballsy, no wonder it forced black to make mistakes in the line, but lastly don't get it twisted that's what happened, it's not like black played perfect hippo & white bust through it by utilizing the space advantage, I'm only pointing this out because it seems that's what your narration suggests & it simply isn't the case, white was ultra aggressive & pounced on blacks mistakes with sublime efficiency, absolutely but it's not a bust to the hippo line according to SF 16 😅,

Danny > agadmator so much

Danny tryin to be Antonio!

Definitely clickbait but not a big deal. Also, this is the second game of the first round, no? Not the second round.

Click bait

15:18 tempo on the queen?

Way to use Hikaru's name for views, clever.

That’s quite the clickbait headline...

Danny is good. Why isn’t he a GM?

where is this blog of yours danny

Yes finally! Someone who actually analyzes the latest chess scene! Screw Agadmator, and screw ChessNetwork for not uploading videos!

Method ruizz

Agadmator has become much prettier good analysis

Y'all better put some respect on Agad's name... he's been doing this day in and day out for years Although I must admit this is very good

najs !...

I thought Hikaru's favorite pet opening was the Bongcloud

i guessed both of the critical moves am i a GM now?

click baited!

Danny talks too much. This video could be done in 6 minutes

First